Romance, recovery & community re-entry for criminal justice involved women: Conceptualizing and measuring intimate relationship factors and power.

Researchers have suggested that interpersonal relationships, particularly romantic relationships, may influence women's attempts at substance abuse recovery and community re-entry after criminal justice system involvement. The present paper evaluates relational and power theories to conceptualize the influence of romantic partner and romantic relationship qualities on pathways in and out of substance abuse and crime. The paper then combines these conceptualizations with a complementary empirical analysis to describe an ongoing research project that longitudinally investigates these relational and power driven factors on women's substance abuse recovery and community re-entry success among former substance abusing, recently criminally involved women. This paper is designed to encourage the integration of theory and empirical analysis by detailing how each of these concepts are operationalized and measured. Future research and clinical implications are also discussed.

Industrialization Stresses, Alcohol Abuse & Substance Dependence: Differential Gender Effects in a Kenyan Rural Farming Community.

Developing countries' industrialization and urbanization attempts have been linked to psychological distress and alcohol abuse. We used Hobfoll's COR theory to examine the relationship between gender, perceived resource loss (an indicator of industrialization stress), and alcohol abuse and dependence in a sample of Kenyan rural village men and women (N = 186). Regression analyses indicated that both gender and COR loss predicted alcohol abuse and dependence. Additionally, results suggested that gender moderated the relationship between COR loss and alcohol dependence; such that higher COR loss scores predicted higher alcohol dependence for men, but COR loss scores did not predict alcohol dependence for women. Thus, we suggest that gender differences in substance abuse may be due less to actual differences in resource loss, but rather to gender differences in the response to resource loss. Limitations and opportunities for future research are discussed.

Continued Successful SA Recovery during the Maintenance Stage: Intra-Individual Resource Loss & Gain Predict Relapse.

OBJECTIVES: We combine Hobfoll's Conservation of Resources (COR) theory and key components of self-help group "step work" ideology to investigate how dynamic changes in key intra-individual resource loss and gains (self-esteem, abstinence self-efficacy, existential growth) influence relapse rates in a sample of individuals in the Maintenance Stage of substance abuse recovery. METHODS: Participants (n = 579) completed two surveys over a nine month period that assessed baseline and changes in intra-individual loss and gain resources as well as relapse rates over study course. Multiple regression analyses were performed to predict whether baseline and dynamic changes in intra-individual scores predict relapse rates over time. RESULTS: Individuals that reported lower levels of resource gain at baseline, as well as decreased gain trajectories and increased loss trajectories over time were more likely to relapse. CONCLUSIONS: Findings support self-help group "step work" models and the application of COR theory for relapse likelihood prediction in a sample of individuals in longer term substance abuse recovery. Research efforts should examine the complex relationship between these dynamic intra-individual resources, social cognition, self-regulation and relapse risk. Future interventions should address the importance of the continual development and protection of these valuable intra-individual resources to prevent relapse.

Cognitive strategies affecting recall of sexual behavior among high-risk men and women.

OBJECTIVE: Most sexual health research depends on self-reported information, but little is known about the ways in which individuals arrive at their responses to sexual behavior questions. The purpose of the present research was to investigate the cognitive strategies and contextual cues used to recall sexual behaviors among men and women at high risk for HIV. DESIGN: 102 men and 106 women were recruited from a public health sexually transmitted disease clinic (mean age = 31 years; 45% African American, 50% White) and asked to think aloud as they responded to questions about number of lifetime sexual partners and frequency of vaginal and oral sex (in the past 2 weeks or 3 months). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Transcripts of participant interviews were coded for the different types of cognitive strategies and contextual cues that were used to recall counts of sexual partners and behaviors. RESULTS: Multivariate logistic regressions indicated that respondents tended to enumerate each instance of behavior when recalling low frequencies of behavior and small numbers of partners and to use rate-based estimates or general impression strategies when recalling high frequencies and numbers. Most respondents did not use self-generated contextual cues. CONCLUSION: Results suggest that reports of high frequencies of sexual behavior or large numbers of partners are approximations. For valid and reliable assessment, researchers should direct respondents to recall sexual behavior in small, manageable chunks through the use of interviewer prompts.

Job characteristics, occupational status, and ambulatory cardiovascular activity in women.

BACKGROUND: Prior research concerning the effects of occupational status and work stress on ambulatory blood pressure (AmBP) has seldom included women, and available results are equivocal. Moreover, the concurrent effects of occupational status and job characteristics have rarely been investigated. Some research is consistent with the idea that stressful job characteristics are especially detrimental to health in low-status workers, creating a cumulative physiological burden. PURPOSE: To examine the independent and joint effects of occupational status and perceived demands, control, and social support at work on AmBP and heart rate (HR) in women. METHODS: One hundred eight women (M age = 41.07 years) wore an AmBP monitor for 2 days and completed a self-report assessment of job control, demands, and support (i.e., Karesek et al.'s Job Content Questionnaire). RESULTS: After controlling for numerous potential confounds, occupational status and job characteristics accounted for 18% and 22% of the inter-individual variability in ambulatory systolic blood pressure (SBP) and HR, respectively. Occupational status independently predicted ambulatory cardiovascular activity and interacted with job characteristics, particularly in relation to SBP. CONCLUSIONS: Inasmuch as ambulatory SBP and HR predict future cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, women with both lower status occupations and stressful job circumstances could be at disproportionately high cardiovascular risk.

Association of stereotypes about physicians to health care satisfaction, help-seeking behavior, and adherence to treatment.

The present research consists of three studies examining the role of patients' stereotypes about health care providers in the health care decision process. Study 1 examined the association of stereotypes to health care satisfaction and help-seeking behavior among a low-income clinic sample; Study 2 examined the relationship of stereotypes to satisfaction and adherence to treatment among low-income individuals living with HIV; and Study 3 examined the association of stereotypes to satisfaction and help-seeking among a sample of homeless individuals. Overall findings indicate that individuals who held more negative stereotypes about physicians sought care less often when sick, were less satisfied with the care that they did obtain, and were less likely to adhere to physician recommendations for treatment. Moreover, African Americans, but not Whites, with more positive stereotypes reported better adherence in Study 2 and were more satisfied with their health care in Study 3. Our findings point to the need to better understand the role of patients' beliefs about health care in predicting health care satisfaction and health behaviors.